Cable connecter



Dec.. 1, 1931. L. H. CHURCH 1,833,988

CABLE CONNEC'I'ER Filed NOV. 12 1926 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS IiEWIS H. onURcrr, or ELIZABETH,

Patented Dec. 1, 1931 a UNITE D, oFr1joIE -1 cnn rln CONNECTER." 3 i r Application-filed November 12, 19a; g se r'iarno. 145, 39.11 l

a This invention relates .to cable connecters and particularly to adapter connecterscapable of universally anchoringvcable of all sizes and shapes to electric fixture or outlet 7 5g boxes.

The subject matter of this application has 7 been divided out in part 'ofcopending Patent 1,64%,308 dated Oct. 4, 1927, application Serial Number 104,129 filed April 23, 1926.

In the copending applicationthere is covered broadly a cable connecter for securing cable to electric fixture boxes, necter is universal in its utility, i. e. it may be used with many or all styles of cable such as flat, oval or round cable, metal armored or fibrearmored cable, and hard or soft cable;

. That connecter mcludesbox'hole .anchorage means by which theco'nnecter is anchored in a box and includes an adapter clamp ele-i ment movably mounted on the connecter member; Operating means such as a screw is carried with the connecter for cooperation with the adapter clamp to move'the adapter into place, and to secure and clamp the'cable in the connecten, 7 a

1 WVhat is-of further importance is that guide means are employedto guide "the movement of theadapter clamp element in movable relation in 9r to the connecter member to maintain said adapter, clamp in working alignment with the operating means, and the 'guldeor retaining means for the adapter clamp herein-claimed is shown as a modified ,form

ofthe invention inmy former application-i The present invention has for one of its objects the provlsionlof improved means'for the retention of the adapterrclamp element in operative relationw-ith respect to the screw operating means carried with the'eon- *necter." Accordingly, coop'eratin'g positioning means are-interposedj between the connecter member and'fthe adapter'clamp element'which includea cutawayf 'portion and an entering portion: More particularlythe connecter member is" formed with or carries a projecting elementior lugadaptedLto enter a receiving space C slotiorm dfin a flange carried with the adapter clamp means. 7 Prefnew JERSEY, nssienon {no TrromAs e1 1; r .00., or ELIZABETH, NEW gnnsny, A conronnrrion on: NE JERSEY g;

and the con-,

' connecter member. v

for that portion of the eable passage-in, Y, 511

connecter not occupiedby thelcable'. f i v [The invention alsojseeks to' I insertion and remox' al of'a connecter memf-j her within the holein an electric fixture box, To this end a cennect'er member lncludes facilitate the weakening means, i; e. instrumentalitiesby which a connecter has its {rigidity broken or relieved to permit; contraction sothat the conneeten'may be'imo re easily, inserted or snapped into a boxfhole. Preferablya connecter of the longitudinallysplit sleeve type ti'on so that i which engages the'box hole edge need be con trac-tedto snap the connecter into place. a

is formed witha circumferentially extende I-Thes'e and other objects of theinvention and the means, for

, their attainment will be more apparent fr'm the 'followingdescrip} ftion taken in co mection with the accompan ing drawings illustratingapreferred embo i} r ment thereof ,andiin whioh i f The firstthreeviews sh'w fii k p f one part of the memberor 51 m.

devi ce', namely, the eonnecter 1' Figure, .1 is a iview showingei fiat.grooved temni gb fe bei g relld n l evv fo m to make a connecter member, having athread ed hole forthe rejceptionqof screw. tipjerat-in'g means and an exten engage a'cable clampingmemberg Figure 21sanend H 31s a slde elevation,

H The next three v ewsshow the adapter elev I "mentand itsconstruction. I

' Figure 4 is a'view show ng "a flat: stamping e evat o s. Fi

l ldportionbf lug q n V on of the cooperati eanfsito" V I .5 showing the Comp e d i from which the adapter; including, cable ,clamp plateand shutter means is made. n i show end. and {side'elevations of th'ecompleted Figures "5andi6j da e eme ta The nextthree 'viewsshbw the assembly of the connecter memberand adapterelement.

Figure 7isa side elevation, and Figure'S is, an end elevation, showing the i complete v a e v .Cableconnecter assembly, erably the, fiangese'rves as ziclo'sixre' or-shutter Figure 9 is longitudinalvertiealjseetional I 'Electr'ic, fixture boxes'B are manufactured view .of the complete cable connecter taken in the plane indicated by the line 99 ,in

ing-qamodified-cable con t r. prqvided with weakening means whereby its rigidity re- 'Figure"8. y Y 7 Figure 10 is a view in longitudinal vertical section showing the cable connecter mounted in an electric fixture box. with a cable secured'therein. I I Figure 11 1s a v ew, 111 side elevation, show 'lieved'to permit contractionjso that it may more easily beinsertedin a fixture box'ihole.

Figure 12 is a longitudinal vertical sec-- the connecter according to tional view of Figure 11.;

WlthkIlOQli-Ollt openings or holes H to receive I thecable C and con'necters and by the use of I tions are made inside the I Y ig' l a I e h wn; to. m mber 17 my'improved connecter the cable is anchored inthe'box Band electrical wiring connec- I I box with the wires coming from the cable. I I I :The cabl'e connecter covered in the copending application secures cable of various s zes and 'shapes ln standard electric fixture boxesi'and closes that portion of the boxfhole or knock-out not occupied by the cable against. the admission of dirt or other'for matter, and in case of a sleeve-type con 'necter being employed, the sleeve [space above or adjacent the cable is alsoclo'sed.

"The c'able connecter of the presentinventionas'wellas that of my former application may: comprise a connecte'r member 17, usually a, sleeve, formed of a resilient metalplate or s amping Shown in igur 1 h c r l i ylilid l shape, wi ex h an r age grooves 19 proximate the ends. Thejends e th Figur 1 s amp hgf om "tog h to '40 .f-arm l i gi u ina pl 12 w ichip m the" connector member to be 'contracted, thatv I is, its circumference is reduced for'finsertion h beX' eH-. T 100 hole edge setter, er l7 Withinone of the grooves efl'ect anchorage of the 'connecter yp P 17,, S o n et e forms of, construction may be used.

, The conne e'r me b r iis. hus adaiilied to receive a cable Within 01; upon the connecter is mounted an adapter element comprising cable clamp plate QifOrmed from a Pl t 0,1 ampineas Sh in Fi u be cirwhereof "the respective ends 25 may .cular to form shutters'25 at oneor both ends ofthefsleeve. These shutter ends 25 are bent upwardly to serve as positioning or'guiding' means'as well as shutters whereby the adapter element '2 i25 maybe moved'laterally orj'radiallyin respect to the connecter axis and in respect to the axis of cable Cand in "respect to screw operating means 2 6 which isthreaded through a screwhole 27 formed in theconnecter 'member 17 to drive the ngaiedg penfexp nsioi o h /c01 4 in a box hole Whileausleeve The e f adapt-erbearing plate-2e against the cable G and "clampit in the connecter and anchor the connecterin the box hole I Preferably the bearing clamp plate 24i1nay be given, between the shutters 25, a curvilinear or cylindricalform as shown at 29, Wherecable C. The shutters 25 are of such dim nsien as w sl eithe re p tive ends the sleeye or th-at portion thereof not occupied bythecable C is? close the box hole H topreventthe admission of dirt or plaster it confor ift the shape of a 7 into the interior of the electric fixture box B a ndthus form what maybe referred to as the shutters enclosure ends. Theends 25 also I,

serve as positioriing means for the" adapter toprevent axial displacementand asiguid-f 111g means for theadapter as t ls'moved t0.-

ward oraway from-thecable ating or. clamping screw t I I According to the aspect of the nventlon C theo'per forming the subjectmatter of this divisional the screw .26. Preferably the ups'tanding portion 2 5'is'cut away as atBI- to receive a projection 32 c'arried. "with the cylindrical conn'ecter member 17 In the illustrated emtoe cableC. Cooperating means isprovided' plate 2% inoperativegrelation with the end of bodiment, theprojec'tion takesthe formofa' lug 32integral with the connecter member 17 and in the same longitudinal vertical plane that includes the screw 26 while the cutout portion'takes the form of a slot 31ft!) receive the luv 32' and disposed normally Th h l '2 v aforementioned vertical plane;-

provided between theadapter-2i 25 arrdthe .CO lnecterfmember 17 whereby the adapter fos 1 It ill thus beseen thatcg'uidemeansare is guided in its reciprocationradially of'the c'onnecter'l'i' and retained alw'ays in "Working relation with're'spect to the-operating means 26", so that the clamp plate 24 moves freely in the sleeve or anyother, type connecterpart 'ITand' th-us'the standard size box: holeH may means by whichthe movable Parts of the con;- necter, are maintained in alignment gure 11" and 12 i u es 0: ifit k tionofa cableconnecter in which the Con [have securedtherein any size cable G. In this way Igprovideimproved guide means entirely independent of the clamp operating 32 necter member'4i0 is of sleeve form, and is" 7 provided with box hole anchorage'means, i. e.

edges of h 1 the grooves areadapted to; engage: the

H in an electric fixture box B.

p mit ttracti n fo fnseftie in. he "hex hole Preferably oppositethe' split 42 the sfp'l t pgiuidin llyiiz t, 2 t I a circumferentially extending sleeve is tapped to receive a screw 43 adapted to be advanced radially to engage a cable-C and clamp the same between itself and the interior surface of the sleeve.

/Veakening means 'areprovided with this cable connecter, i. e. instrumentalities by which the connecter has its rigiditywrelieved to permit its contraction, so that the connecter may be more easily inserted or snapped into a box hole. 7 To this end the illustrated V embodiment shows the sleeve connecter 40 formed, between the grooves 41 with a circumferentially extending slot 45 which preferably intersects the split 42 and thus partially divides the connecter into two spaced end portions, only one of which need be contracted for insertion in the box hole H, thus rendering it easier to do so, and enablethe manufacturer to use heavier stock from which to make the connecter.

It is to beunderstood that while the connecter member 40 is not illustrated as provided with a cable clamp plate or shutters or guide means therefor, it is applicable for use in connection therewith- I Various modifications may be made in the connecter or connecters without departing ripheral groove for anchorage within a box hole, said member being formed with a cir- -6. A cable connecter comprising asleeve A 7 formed with similar anchorage grooves PI'OXrimate its ends said sleeve being longitudinal-- I 1y split for permitting contraction thereof and having a medial portion separating said grooves, said medial portion having a c1rcumferentiallyextending slot therein where--- by either endof said sleeve may be contracted independent of the other end thereby requiring only a portion of said sleeveto be contracted uponinserting the'same into a'bo'x hole and enabling either end to beinserted V j I in said hole with equal facility.

7 A cable connecter comprising a sleeve formed withsimilar anchorage grooves roximate its ends said sleeve being longitu inally split for permitting contraction thereof and having a medial portion separating said grooves, said medial portion-having a circumferentially extending slot therein whereby either end of said sleeve may be contracted independently of the other end thereby requiring only a portion of said 7 sleeve to be contracted upon inserting the same into a box hole and enabling either end to be inserted in said hole vwith equal facility, and clamping means in said medialportion opposed to said slot whereby cable may be clamped against J the slotted side vof the sleeve with the full resistance of the entire length of the sleeve." In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' I LEWIS H. CHURCH.

cumferentially extending slot proximate the i groove to relieve it of rigidity to facilitate snapping the groove into a box hole, and

cable clamping means. i

3. A connecter comprising, -a sleeve split if anchorage grooves proximate its ends, and slot between the grooves, and cable clamplng means carried with the connecter.

4. A connecter comprising a longitudinally split sleeve having resilient box hole anchorage means and cable clamping means, and said sleeve being formed with a circumferentially extending slotto increase the flexibility of the anchorage means to facilitate snapping the connecter into a box hole.

5. A connecter comprisingga longitudinally split sleeve formed with box hole anchorage grooves proximate its ends and a circumferenti'ally extendin slotbetween the grooves, said slot and split bisecting one another, and cable clamping means carried'with the connecter. 

